Stretcher Transportation in Silver Spring, MD

What happens on a Silver Spring stretcher trip

A stretcher van is for a patient who can’t safely sit upright for the ride. The two-person crew brings a power-assisted Stryker cot to the bedside, moves the patient onto it, and keeps them flat or reclined; at the destination the crew transfers them into the bed or chair that’s waiting.

Our stretcher crews have completed NEMTAC’s Certified Stretcher Operator course and passed background and drug screening, and H&M Transport was the first NEMT provider in Virginia to earn NEMTAC accreditation. There’s no medical care on board, so the trip is priced far below an ambulance and booked like an appointment.

Silver Spring hospitals and discharges

Holy Cross Hospital on Forest Glen Road and Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center on Healing Way are where most of our Silver Spring stretcher discharges begin. White Oak opened in 2019, replacing Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park. Tell us the unit and the crew goes to the room.

We also bring patients home from Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, which has one patient drop-off circle at the main entrance and another at the Horizon Tower, and from the DC hospitals. Discharge planners get a three-hour maximum lead time and free changes more than two hours before pickup.

Rehab, senior campuses and hospice

Riderwood on Gracefield Road, a large senior community with its own on-site medical center, is a frequent stop for our stretcher crews, along with the rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities across Montgomery County. We run scheduled transfers between facilities when the patient is stable, and hospice discharges home.

For dialysis riders who can no longer manage a chair, we run standing stretcher schedules to centers such as DaVita Silver Spring on Georgia Avenue and DaVita Briggs Chaney on Outlet Drive.

Stretcher transportation prices in Silver Spring

Silver Spring stretcher fares follow the 2026 private-pay card: a pick-up fee that covers the van and both crew members, then the miles.

Holy Cross Hospital to a house in Takoma Park is about four miles, so a discharge home is $260 plus $16, or $276. Holy Cross to Riderwood on Gracefield Road is about nine miles: $296. A round trip from downtown Silver Spring to an appointment at Holy Cross stays within the five miles each leg includes: $460.

Anything extra is quoted up front: the stair team, $75 each way; $50 for a pickup before 7am or after 6pm; $100 an hour of waiting; $30 for an added stop; $35 per 2-liter oxygen tank; and 3% on card payments. Every line is on our rates page.

MetroAccess, Call-n-Ride and patients who lie flat

MetroAccess and Montgomery County’s Call-n-Ride serve riders who can sit up, in a seat or a wheelchair, and a rideshare needs a passenger who can get in by themselves. A patient who must lie down needs a stretcher van, or an ambulance if they need care on the way, so our Silver Spring stretcher trips are mostly booked by discharge planners, nursing staff and hospice teams.

Silver Spring towers, older houses and senior campuses

• Towers. High-rises near the Silver Spring Metro take a cot through the loading entrance and the service elevator. Tell us both.
• Older houses. Homes in Woodside, Four Corners and Takoma Park often have steps from the sidewalk and a tight stair inside. Give us the count and whether it turns, and the stair team comes.
• Senior campuses. Riderwood has many buildings, so tell us the building and the apartment or unit.
• Oxygen. Add the flow rate to the booking.

Paying for a Silver Spring stretcher ride

Medicaid in Maryland and DC. H&M Transport is not a Medicaid provider in Maryland, so Medicaid-covered rides in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties go elsewhere: in Montgomery County, through the county Department of Transportation’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program, or the number on the member’s ID card. In DC, the only Medicaid plan we serve is UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of the District of Columbia, through SafeRide Health. Outside Medicaid, a health plan whose ride benefit SafeRide Health administers can book us in Montgomery, Prince George’s and DC: go through the plan and request H&M Transport by name.

Medicare. Original Medicare doesn’t cover a stretcher van; it pays for an ambulance when one is medically necessary and documented. If the patient’s Medicare Advantage plan runs its ride benefit through SafeRide Health, book through the plan and ask for H&M Transport by name.

Private pay and facilities. Families booking directly pay the published card, and no doctor’s order is needed. Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and hospices book on contracted rates; see our facilities page.

Booking a Silver Spring stretcher trip

Phone (703) 304-7889 for a same-day trip or a discharge from Holy Cross or White Oak; three hours is the minimum notice, and we cover most requests inside it. A trip booked a day ahead is guaranteed, and a call or text confirms it within two hours.

Give us the unit, the destination, the patient’s weight, any oxygen and its flow rate, and the steps at home and whether they turn. The stair team adds $75 each way, and patients over 300 lbs book bariatric service so the reinforced cot is sent.

Cancel or change more than two hours before pickup at no charge; after that, or for a no-show, the fee is $50. Call, email Reservations@hmtransport.com or use the app.

Stretcher transportation in Silver Spring: common questions

What does a stretcher discharge from Holy Cross Hospital to Takoma Park cost?

About $276: Takoma Park is roughly four miles from Forest Glen Road, so it’s $260 plus $16. A round trip to an appointment costs $230 per leg with five miles included in each.

Do you take stretcher discharges from Holy Cross and White Oak?

Yes, both. Give us the unit and three hours’ notice, and the crew comes up to the room and takes the patient all the way into bed at home.

Can you bring a patient home to Silver Spring from a DC hospital?

Yes. A trip between DC and Montgomery County runs under WMATC authority 3449, which works alongside our Virginia DMV Certificate #524 for anything on the Virginia side, and the rate is the same as any other trip.

Does Maryland Medicaid pay for stretcher transportation?

Not with us, because H&M Transport isn’t a Medicaid provider in Maryland. In Montgomery County, Medicaid transportation is arranged through the county Department of Transportation’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program.

Do you move patients from the hospital to rehab or a nursing home?

Yes, as a scheduled transfer once the patient is stable, including moves to Riderwood’s medical center or a rehab or nursing center in Montgomery County. A move to another hospital for a higher level of care goes by ambulance.

Why do you send two crew members?

Lifting an adult between a bed and a cot, and up or down stairs, is a two-person job, and it’s safer for the patient.

Can a family member ride along?

Usually, yes. Tell us when you book so we send a van with a seat free.

Stretcher van or ambulance?

A stretcher van carries a stable patient lying down, with no medical care or monitoring on board. We don’t take anyone to an emergency room or move a patient to another hospital for a higher level of care; we do run scheduled transfers between facilities. If this is a medical emergency, call 911. If a rider becomes unwell, the driver stops safely and calls 911.

More from H&M Transport near Silver Spring

All medical transportation in Silver Spring · Stretcher transportation across the DC region · Wheelchair transportation in Silver Spring · Rides to Holy Cross Hospital · Rides to White Oak Medical Center · Hospice discharge